Week Ending 8th November 2009

A lovely late Autumn day said the RTE weatherman, and so it was at Silvepark on Sunday 8th November 2009 for an AHL 4 clash with Fingallians.  By 11.15 Crokes were 0-3 to 0-1 clear.  It took another ten minutes, during which a player from each side was dismissed, before the next score came as the home team moved up to four points.  Three minutes later it was 0-5 to 0-1.  The visitors then got two points before Brian Hanamy closed out the first half scoring at 0-6 to 0-3.

 

The Swords men pointed within a minute of the restart.  Over the next six minutes Daithi de Paor converted three frees, the last from an acute angle, to lead 0-9 to 0-4.  The interregnum between minutes thirty nine and forty three the game was turned on its head as Fingallians registered three majors.  Now Crokes were on the back foot.  A good Adrian Morrissey point on the three quarters mark steadied the ship but some missed chances gave rise to worry.  By the fiftieth minute Fingallians were 3-6 to 0-10 ahead.  In the fifty sixth minute Naomhan O’Riordain narrowed the gap to four points.  With two minutes left Crokes pressure eventually led to Brian Hanamy rattling the net.  Sixty seconds on a composed point from Daithi de Paor leveled the game, 1-12 to 3-6.  In the time remaining either side could have snatched it but that was not to be.  To the fore for Crokes in a game that mixed the good with the not so good, were Shane McNicholas, Fergus Monnelly, Aidan Byrne, Adrian Morrissey, Brian Hanamy and Daithi de Paor.

 

Team:

 

R Tighe, F Monnelly, S McNicholas, C O’Keeffe, A Byrne, D Browne, A Hopkins, C Sheehan, A Morrissey (0-1), S Canny, JR Hunt, C Caulfield, D de Paor (0-7, f-4), B Hanamy (1-2), N O’Riordain (0-2).  Subs: C Cunningham for S Canny (42 mins), B Sheehan for JR Hunt (48 mins)

The two other Sunday adult league games – AHL1 v Naomh Fionnbarra and AHL5 –v- Crumlin fell victim to circumstances beyond Kilamcud Crokes control.

 

Silverpark also hosted an afternoon under 16 Division 1 Bottom Four tie with Whitehall Colmcilles.  The northsiders had a goal and a point on the board before Ken Kelly opened the Crokes account with a point.  A duet from Jack O’Brien saw the minimum in it after ten minutes.  After twenty minutes the Collins Avenue team were 2-4 to 0-5 clear.  They failed to score for the remainder of the half while Crokes tacked on four points.

 

Eleven minutes elapsed before Whitehall added the first score of the second half with a point.  In the space of two minutes from the forty sixth to the forty eight Crokes were a goal to the good, thanks to an over each from Ken Kelly and Fionan Motherway and a kicked goal by the latter.  The Kilmacud boys then added two more points and a goal to move into what looked like a commanding 2-13 to 2-5 lead with seven minutes left.  Whitehall pegged a goal and a point back before Tomas Barry scored what was to prove the crucial goal in the fifty eight minute.  Whitehall responded with two goals to a Justin Cassidy to leave just two points between the sides at the conclusion, 3-14 to 5-6.  Among the winners better performers were Sean Boyd, Shane Moran, Fiona Motherway, Cian Gormley and Jack O’Brien.

 

Squad:

 

P Tighe, O O’Siochru, S Boyd, L O’Sullivan, O O’Carroll, S Moran, N Hanley, J Clinton, J Huban (1-0), F Motherway (1-2), C Gormley (0-1), K Kelly (0-6, f-2), A Cullinane (0-1), J O’Brien (0-2), D Keane.  Subs: J Cassidy (0-2) for D Keane (half time) M O’Dwyer for O O’Siochru (42 mins) and T Barry (1-0) for A Cullinane (50 mins).

 

By far the busiest group of the weekend were the under 12’s.  At the end of a great game KC2 had to give way to Na Fianna2 by 3-9 to 1-11 in Friday night’s (6th November 2009) league Division 1 clash in the Paddock.  Until the last puck there was only a point between the teams.  Chris Kealy was outstanding in goals for KC2 and was ably abetted by Luke Gaffney, Fergal Whitely and Brian Grogan.  The following afternoon the same team reaped a measure of consolation with a 10-10 to 3-7 win over Lucan Sarsfields at the same venue.  Crokes, who led by 5-7 to 2-3, at the break had stellar performances from Chris Kealy again, Cathal Keane, Callum Pearson and Conor McNicholas.

 

Earlier on Saturday KC1 recorded an 8-10 to 3-6 victory over Ballyboden at Sancta Maria having been 2-5 to 1-6 in arrears at the interval.  Leading lights for the winners included Alex Considine, Fiachra O’Connor, Hugh Campion, Killian Fleming and Eoin Sheehy.  The Division 3 squad, with no home venue available due to the weather, were forced to travel to Navan Road where they came away with a share of the spoils against Oliver Plunketts/Eoghan Ruadh, 3-3 to 3-3.  The Kilmacud lads had 2-3 to 2-1 on the board at the short whistle in a game where Conn O’Cleirigh, Sean Gorman, Cian Ryan and Sean Dunbar shone.

 

The final game played on Saturday was the under 13B’s Division 3 match with table toppers Skerries Harps in the Paddock.  Crokes had the better of the opening twenty minutes and led 0-2 to nil.  The visitors then goaled and in the space of five minutes added a further 1-3 before a Stephen Barr goal arrested the flow.  Just before half time Richard Couse made it 2-3 to 2-2.  It was very much nip and tuck for the first quarter of and hour of the second period before the north county lads goaled again to forge 3-6 to 2-3 ahead.  They then added a goal and two points before Stephen O’Hurley sent over a good free.  The remainder of the game was well contested but the visitors found scores easier to come by and prevailed 4-10 to 2-5.  Crokes stars included Sayeed Risvi, Stephen O’Hurley, Francis O’Reilly, Richard Couse and Kevin Cullligan

 

Squad:

 

K Fleming, R Geraghty, S Risvi, C Montague, S O’Hurley (0-1, f-1), F O’Reilly, S Crowe (0-1), R Couse (1-1), D Dagg, S Barr (1-1), C O’Connor, C Fahey, K Culligan, N Sweeny (0-1), S Vallom, H Barry, J Egan and R Finnegan.

 

 

Tuesday night’s (3rd Nov) away trip proved profitable for the under 13A hurlers as they beat Ballyboden in their final league game of 2009.  The game was played on the Sancta Maria all weather pitch.  On a freezing cold night Crokes played with the strong wind in the first half and chalked up a good lead with scores from Conor Gowing, Mikey Crowley, Alex Considine and Shane Veale. With Sean Cowe and Sean Keating dominating midfield the Crokes defenders had little to do in the first half. Crokes replaced half of the starting team at half time. Boden came out in the second half and started smartly with a number of goals. Crokes back line was under a lot of pressure but Eamonn Allen and Peter Herlihy defended excellently.  Meanwhile the forwards worked hard against a very strong wind and threw over enough points to leave Crokes with a win by 4-9 to 3-8. A feature of the game was a very impressive performance by the Crokes forwards and another superb performance by Tadhg Murphy in goals.

 

Next Week’s Fixtures

 

Top billing next weekend goes to the minors who play the Dublin “A” Championship final against St Vincents at ParnellPark at 11am on Sunday 15th November 2009.  Crokes will be bidding for the club’s 11th title.  All support welcome.

 

Saturday Nov 14th
U21 HC”D”	Clontarf Road	Scoil Ui Chonaill	V.	Kilmacud Crokes	2.45pm	H Lambe
Sunday Nov 15th
MHCA Final	Parnell Park	Kilmacud Crokes	V.	St. Vincents	11am	Mark Lacey
AHL8	Silverpark	Kilmacud Crokes	V.	Civil Service	2.45pm

As always check with managements for any late changes.

 

 

 

                                                            Monster Draw

 

Like every other group in the club, the club executive is strapped for funds and has initiated a fundraising effort to get the money needed to pay for ongoing pitch maintenance.  The hurling club has been allocated a quota of tickets to sell as part of this initiative.  Essentially it is a monster draw scheduled for 27th November 2009 and 26th February 2010 with a prize fund of €100,000 on each occasion.  Tickets for both draws together cost €100 or €50 per draw.  In all there are 940 prizes.  Tickets are available for €100 each & if you wish to purchase a ticket, please contact any hurling mentor or member of the hurling committee. 

 

 

 

 

Hurling Nursery

 

Nursery training has returned to

Glenalbyn (pitch or Hurling Arena depending on weather).

 

The new group (BORN 2004) now start at 9am

 

9am     New group (Born 2004)

10am   U6(Born 2003)

9am     U7(Born 2002)

 

Please bring boots and runners in case of bad weather. Some hurleys and helmets will be available for new players but all players should endeavour to bring their own.  Each child should bring his own water bottle clearly marked with his name.

 

Please contact the following if you have any queries.

 

Hurling, U6/ Born 2003 and 2004    John Maguire 087 6823264

Hurling, U7/ Born 2002    Mark Lohan  087 8052999

Hurling Nursery Officer: Brian Harrison 087 9201743

Hurling Club Coach: Niall Corcoran 087 9834287

Hurling Secretary: Frances Herlihy 086 8075730

Hurling Dev Officer: Mick Crowe 087 9967608

 

Parental Assistance 

 

We appeal to all parents of the new group to offer assistance in any way possible. No previous coaching experience is required and even periodic help is better than none at all. The success of the club relies on volunteers and it is a great way of getting to know other parents. If you are willing to offer any assistance in any capacity, whether it be coaching, roll, setting up pitches, tidying up pitches, etc. etc. please contact any of the following:

 

Niall Corcoran, Club hurling coach, 087 983 4287, niall.corcoran@gmail.com

Michael Crowe, Chairman, Juvenile Hurling Group, 087-9967608, mjcrowe@gofree.indigo.ie 

Margaret Keane, Registrar, 086 311 0020, Margaret.keane@yahoo.ie

 

Management Contact Details

 

Contact 

 

 

 

Kilmacud Crokes Hurling Coach:      

 

Niall Corcoran, niall.corcoran@games.gaa.ie and 087-9834287

 

www.kilmacudcrokes.com/hurling